Stock market is like test cricket, play the long-term game

In India's tour of Australia during 2003-04, Rahul Dravid’s batting was a cornerstone of India’s fightback. The Indian team's vice-captain in the 2003-04 series, had a traumatic tour to Australia in India's previous outing there in 1999-2000, with scores of 35, 6, 9, 14, 19, and 0 in the four tests played there. His incredible double century of 233 runs in the second Test at Adelaide helped India secure a total of 523 runs, trailing only by 33 runs. In the next innings, Ajit Agarkar helped India by taking 6 wickets, and the Aussies were bowled out for 196. Dravid emerged as a hero once again in the chase as he smashed an unbeaten 72 to propel India to a 6-wicket victory. This might seem like an ordinary win on the surface, but this win meant a lot to Indian cricket fans. Rahul Dravid boasts a remarkable Test career. He is the fourth-highest run-scorer in Test cricket with 13,288 runs, second only to Sachin Tendulkar among Indians. Moreover, he faced more deliveries than any other batter in Test history, a testament to his incredible resilience in the crease. Batting at the crucial number three position, Dravid amassed 10,524 runs, surpassing any other batter in history at that position. His sixteen-year international career saw Dravid being the only batsman to have a test cricket partnership with 700 other batsmen, while other batsmen have not even been able to play 650+ partnerships. He also had an exceptional overseas record with a batting average of over 53 and 8 out of his 11 man-of-the-match awards being won outside India. Dravid faced more balls than other batsmen in tests, and in test cricket, not losing wickets is more important than scoring boundaries or hitting every ball. Dravid himself told in 2011, 'My attitude towards batting was simple: the bowler had to earn my wicket. I told myself that I had to bat at least 30 overs in a Test. If I didn't do that, I had failed. I would do it one way or the other.' Why is the stock market similar to test cricket? Just like test cricket, investing also has a simple formula of not investing in every stock available on the market, watching stock prices every hour, or buying and selling daily. Instead, an investor needs to be patient enough to preserve capital by not making brash decisions and committing to sticking with the fundamentals. A lot of post-COVID investors are scared of seeing the movements in today's market, thinking that they are doing something wrong if they are not making huge profits daily. Focusing on long-term sustainability in the face of volatility is paramount. Just like Rahul Dravid had his lows in 1999, several quality stocks such as Reliance Industries Limited, Bank of Baroda, Asian Paints, Titan, Shriram Finance, Sun Pharma, NTPC, GAIL etc have been beaten down in today's market. Drawing parallels to Dravid's focus on solid technique and disciplined batting, investors should prioritize fundamental analysis of companies over short-term trends and market hype. In fact, many of the above-mentioned stocks are the biggest wealth generators since their IPO. So stay invested in companies with strong fundamentals, sound financials, and a competitive advantage. Discipline, patience, strong foundation matter more for an investor than chasing short-term and quick gains. What are your views here? Which stocks should be held during these tough times?